title: Functional exercise for older adults.
abstract: Australia's population is aging. Recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that by the year 2013, 3.1 million people will be over the age of 65 as compared with 2.1 million in 1993. This trend is projected to continue well into the 21st century, and has important implications for health and fitness professionals. Age related decline in muscle power predicts falls, motor impairment and disability. The author suggests that training programs should be tailored to maximise muscle power. Explosive heavy resistance training is safe and well tolerated in healthy adults even in the eighth decade of life and elicits adaptive neuromuscular changes in physiological variables that are commonly associated with the risk of falls and disability in aged individuals.
authors.affiliation: Peter.cayley@vicweightlifting.com
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cayley
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001315:Australia; D015444:Exercise; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged